Scanning apparatuses are widely used for scanning images of documents, photographs or films. The scanned images can be converted into electronic files, which are then stored, processed or spread. With increasing development of scanning technologies, the scanning apparatuses have experienced great growth and are now rapidly gaining in popularity.
In the early stage, the scanning apparatus can scan one side of the document. For scanning both sides of the document, after one side of the document has been scanned, the document should be manually turned over so as to scan the other side of the document. However, the process of manually turning over the document is troublesome. Recently, an automatic document feeder is usually integrated into the scanning apparatus. After a stack of documents to be scanned are placed on the sheet input tray of the automatic document feeder, the sheet-feeding mechanism of the automatic document feeder will successively transport the paper to perform the scanning operation without the need of manually turning over the documents. This means of automatically feeding the paper sheets is both time-saving and efficient. It is found that the scanning apparatuses are improved according to the generation development and the diverse demands.
On basis of business affairs' demand, business cards are frequently used to provide potential customers with a means to contact the business. After the business cards are accumulated to a large amount, the basic information associated with the business cards is manually searched. This manual searching approach is very troublesome. For a purpose of quickly searching the basic information associated with the business cards and saving the collecting space, the business cards are usually scanned as electronic files, which are then stored and managed. As known, the use of the conventional scanning apparatus to scan the business cards incurs drawbacks when both sides of a business card are scanned. In other words, after one side of the business card has been scanned, the business card should be manually turned over so as to scan the other side of the business card. The process of manually turning over the business card is troublesome especially when business cards are accumulated to a large amount. For convenience, the user prefers using a sheet-feeding scanning apparatus with the automatic document feeder to scan the business cards.
During operation of the sheet-feeding scanning apparatus, the sheet-like document is readily jammed in an internal portion of the sheet-feeding scanning apparatus. When a jam event occurs, the majority of the sheet-like document is stuck in the internal channel of the sheet-feeding scanning apparatus but the rear terminal of the sheet-like document is still exposed to the input tray. Since the sheet-like document is firmly clamped by the pick-up roller assembly and the separation slice of the input tray, the user usually fails to pull out the sheet-like document. For removing the jammed document, the upper cover above the input sheet should be opened. During the upper cover is opened, the pick-up roller assembly is gradually distant from the input tray. Until the upper cover is fully opened, the pick-up roller assembly is separated from the input tray and thus the sheet-like document is no longer clamped by the pick-up roller assembly. Consequently, the user is able to remove the jammed document from the sheet-feeding scanning apparatus without difficulty.
Generally, the sheet-feeding scanning apparatus with the automatic document feeder can scan general size of documents (e.g. A4-sized or Letter-sized documents) and thus the gap between the transfer roller assemblies thereof is designed to accommodate general size of documents. Since the business card has a size smaller than the general documents (also referred as ordinary documents in this context), the business card fed by the first transfer roller assembly fails to be nipped by the second transfer roller assembly and is usually stayed between these two transfer roller assemblies. In other words, the sheet-feeding scanning apparatus with the automatic document feeder is not applicable to scan business cards. Moreover, since the business card is relatively thicker than the general documents, the bending degree of the business card during transportation is usually insufficient.
Recently, an exclusive business card scanner is disclosed in for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,604,640. This exclusive business card scanner, however, can scan only a single business card at a time. As previously described, the upper cover of the conventional sheet-feeding scanning apparatus can be uplifted to remove the jammed document. On the other hand, since the upper cover of this exclusive business card scanner is integrally formed on the main body thereof, the upper cover fails to be uplifted. Under this circumstance, the problem of causing jammed document is difficult to be dealt with.
Therefore, there is a need of providing a sheet-feeding scanning apparatus capable of feeding business cards and releasing a jam event so as to obviate the drawbacks encountered from the prior art.